topic Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u in Mobile and Desktop Processors

Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

Elddo — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 16:20:12 GMT

Hi,

I need support here, I have a Dell Inspirion 5559 laptop with motherboard w/intel i7-6500u s

1. My original Wi-Fi card is intel dual band wireless ac3160.

I want to upgrade the Wi-Fi card to the newest and the best that is supported by this motherboard and will have the fastest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

2. I Also notice that with the LAN cable my internet speed is very much slower that with Wi-Fi! believe it or not.

So I need another advice about what should I replace in my laptop to make the internet connection faster.

Thank in advance

Eldd

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

n_scott_pearson — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:07:52 GMT

It depends upon whether you have the 3160NGW or 3160HMW card...

If you have the 3160NGW card, then the top replacement would be the AX210 card. In addition to Wireless-AX, WiFi 6E and BT 5.2 support, this card can give you up to 2400Mb/s throughput.
If you have the 3160HMW card, the the top Intel replacement would be the Wireless-AC 7265 (the 7265HMW card, that is). This would up your possible throughput to 867 Mb/s.
If you have the 3160HMW card and are willing to consider third-party cards, there are some available that utilize Intel's AX200 or AX210 silicon and drivers. Here are examples: Third-party AX200 HMW Card and Third-party AX210 HMW Card.

Now, this all depends on whether or not Dell has placed any obstacles - such as exclusion or inclusion lists - in the way of you upgrading yourself.

As for your Ethernet throughput issues, they don't make much sense. I would first be looking for a driver issue (try uninstalling and then reinstalling). If that doesn't work out, you could try adding an PCIe Ethernet card. For example, TP-Link TG-3468 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe Network Card or Realtek RT8111C Gigabit Ethernet PCIe Network Card.

Hope this helps,

...S

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

megan3000 — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:31:28 GMT

Regarding the low speed with Ethernet, when I checked online for this laptop model Inspirion 5559 I can see it just comes with a "fast ethernet" controller (10/100Mbps)... so comparing this with the Max speed of the AC 3160 (around 400Mbps) it would explain the difference in speed... And thus, I think this doesn't look like a driver issue...

https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_inspiron_laptop/inspiron-15-5559-laptop_reference%20guide_en-us.pdf

Because this is a laptop, it won't be possible to install the PCI Express Network Card, but, your laptop has one USB 3.0 port, so you may use it to plug in a USB to Ethernet Adapter. Look for one that is 1.0Gbps (1000Mbps) or 2.5Gbps... There are a variety of options out there. As an example, I'm sharing the first result I got searching one of these on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-UE306-Foldable-10-11-10-15/dp/B09GRL3VCN/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+ethernet+adapter&qid=1656116597&sprefix=USB+et%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-3

Remember, to achieve Ethernet gigabit speeds, your network cable needs to support it. Although it is said that "good quality" UTP cables cat 5e should do the job, I would go for a UTP cable cat 6

Here, you may learn more about UTP categories

https://www.firewall.cx/networking-topics/cabling-utp-fibre/112-network-cabling-utp.html

Megan ♥

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

Elddo — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 07:20:33 GMT

Thank you so much,
About the Intel Centrino Wireless-AC 3160 + Bluetooth 4.0 card, how may I know which type is it -
3160NGW? Or 3160HMW?
As for the Ethernet, it is much slower, see the details from @megan3000 answer.

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

Elddo — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 07:53:45 GMT

Thank you Megan for your answer !
Is your solution for the USB to Ethernet Adapter is because the Ethernet came on the motherboard ?
Maybe a silly question but should I replace to a newer motherboard (?) is that possible ?

As for the wireless card (my internet package speed is now 1GB), I read today from an answer in *2018-20 that I should use Wireless-AC 8265 or 9260 / or the AX200.

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

n_scott_pearson — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 23:35:49 GMT

Megan is correct; I totally missed the 10/100-only Ethernet. I assumed (poorly) that with GB Ethernet shipping for a couple of years beforehand, no solution, however cheap, would stick you with only 10/100 support. Me bad.

From what I can see, you have the 3160NGW. Your choices for upgrade include, AC7265 (866Mb/s), AC8265 (866Mb/s), AC9260 (1733Mb/s), AX200 (WiFi 6, 2400Mb/s) or AX210 (WiFi 6E, 2400Mb/s). My personal opinion? These are all priced pretty much the same; you might as well go for AX200 or AX210.

...S

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

Elddo — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 07:01:53 GMT

Thank you.

If possible I will replace the Motherboard for fast Ethernet also (I'm not a hardware man), that instead of an external Ethernet Adapter.

Re: Which Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC cards is supported by motherboard w/intel i7-6500u

n_scott_pearson — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:46:50 GMT

Frankly, you are likely looking at the purchase of a new laptop. Replacing the laptop's motherboard - especially in a 7-year-old laptop - is likely out of the question.

...S